Food Safety Records in India: FSSAI Rules, Inspections and Ratings

India food safety records: FSS Act and FSSAI rules, licences, inspections, Hygiene Rating, the records inspectors ask for and how digital records help.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in India need food safety records? Yes. Every food business must register or hold a licence on FoSCoS, and Schedule 4 of the Licensing and Registration Regulations 2011 asks for records of cooking, storage, cleaning, pest control, staff health and training, kept for 1 year or the shelf life of the food, whichever is longer. Food Safety Officers of each state inspect, under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 (FSS Act). India has no compulsory public hygiene grade, but FSSAI runs a voluntary Hygiene Rating of 1 to 5. This page explains the rules, what inspectors look for, and how digital records help.

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Every fact below comes from an official FSSAI or government text, linked in the text and at the end. Chef Hygiene keeps your daily records. It does not register or license you, and it is not approved by FSSAI or any state government. Where we could not confirm something, we say so. Ask your state food department if you are unsure.

Language note. India's laws and FSSAI forms are in English and Hindi. The app works in English and Hindi, plus Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil and Urdu, so staff can record checks in the language they speak.

## Contents

The law: what every Indian food business must do
Who inspects you, and what can happen
Hygiene Rating: voluntary, 1 to 5
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in India
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

## 1. The law: what every Indian food business must do

The main laws. The FSS Act 2006 and the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations 2011. Schedule 4 holds the hygiene rules: Part II for all licensed businesses, and Part V for catering and food service. FSSAI (the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) runs the national side (FSS Act 2006).
Register or get a licence. Nobody may run a food business without a licence (section 31). Small operators such as petty retailers, hawkers, itinerant vendors and temporary stall holders only register. You apply on the FoSCoS portal.
Which one you need. FSSAI's order of 13 March 2026 sets bands by yearly turnover, from 1 April 2026: registration up to Rs 1.5 crore, a State licence above that up to Rs 50 crore, a Central licence above Rs 50 crore. The kind of business, or trading in several states, can also need a Central licence; we could not confirm that full list (FSSAI order).
Licences no longer expire. Under FSSAI's FAQ order of 27 March 2026, registrations and licences issued from 1 April 2026 stay valid unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered. The yearly fee is still payable, for any number of years at once (FSSAI FAQ order).
Licence number on every bill. The 14-digit FSSAI number must be printed on receipts, invoices and bills, enforced from 1 January 2022 (FSSAI order).
Display. FSSAI's Direction asks a licensed restaurant to show a Food Safety Display Board, and a notice of items cooked in ghee, edible oil, vanaspati or other fats.
Written food safety plan. FSSAI's catering guidance asks each business to write down its food safety programme and keep it on site. We found no official text that makes a full HACCP plan compulsory for a restaurant, so we do not say it is.
Temperatures. FSSAI's Direction under section 16(5) puts a revised Schedule 4 Part V into operation and says businesses shall follow it. The gazetted text is still the older 2017 version (60°C hot holding), so you may see two sets of numbers. The Direction says (FSSAI Direction):
Chilled high-risk food 5°C or colder; frozen food -18°C or colder, also on delivery.
Cooking: vegetarian food 65°C for 2 minutes or 60°C for 10 minutes; non-vegetarian food 75°C for 15 seconds or 65°C for 10 minutes.
Hot holding 65°C or hotter. Cold holding 5°C or colder.
Cooling: 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours, then to 5°C within a further 4 hours.
Reheating: 75°C at the core, once. Not in a bain-marie or under a heat lamp.
Thawing: eat within 12 hours; never refreeze.
Frying oil: do not use oil once its total polar compounds go above 25%.
Staff health. Every food handler is examined by a registered medical practitioner every year and inoculated against the enteric group of diseases as the vaccine schedule recommends, with records kept (Schedule 4, Part II, 10.1).
Staff training. All handlers are trained, with records (Part II, 12). See section 4 for the Food Safety Supervisor.

## 2. Who inspects you, and what can happen

Who. Food Safety Officers inspect. The Designated Officer grants licences and serves notices. Each state has a Commissioner of Food Safety, who hears appeals (FSS Act, sections 31 and 32).
How often. We could not confirm an official visit schedule, so we give none.
Improvement notice. At least 14 days to fix the failures. If not done, the licence can be suspended, then cancelled after you can show cause. For public health it can be suspended at once. You can appeal to the Commissioner within 15 days (section 32).
Penalties. Maximums in the Act, as changed by the Jan Vishwas Act 2023 (e-Gazette):
Unhygienic processing: up to Rs 1 lakh (section 56).
Not following an officer's direction, or any other breach: up to Rs 2 lakh (sections 55, 58).
No licence: a penalty up to Rs 10 lakh (section 63).
Unsafe food that hurts nobody: up to 3 months in prison and Rs 3 lakh (section 59). Injury or death carries much more.

## 3. Hygiene Rating: voluntary, 1 to 5

What it is. A certification for restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, bakeries, sweet shops and meat shops with an FSSAI licence or registration. You do a self-assessment on the hygiene portal, and an FSSAI-recognised audit agency, third-party auditor or Food Safety Officer checks the premises (FSSAI guidance).
Voluntary, unless the Commissioner of Food Safety or the Food Authority directs a business to get one.
The score. The restaurant checklist has 122 points. Some critical questions (cooking, cooling, holding, reheating, thawing, pests, transport, cleanliness, records) must all pass, or there is no rating.

Rating	Meaning	Score
5 smileys	Excellent	81 to 100%
4 smileys	Very Good	61 to 80%
3 smileys	Good	41 to 60%
2 smileys	Needs Improvement	21 to 40%
1 smiley	Urgent Improvement	20% or less

Valid for 2 years. Businesses with 3, 4 or 5 are asked to display the certificate. There is no compulsory public grade or sticker.

## 4. The records inspectors ask for

Cooking, holding, cooling and reheating temperatures, and fridge and freezer temperatures, with checked devices.
Incoming material and inspection records.
Cleaning: a written schedule with records of what, how often, how, and which products.
Pest control by trained people, with records of the pesticides used and when.
Water: tested once a financial year, at least 6 months apart. Municipal water needs no test, but keep the water bill and tank cleaning records (hygiene checklist notes).
Calibration of measuring devices, and recall and laboratory records.
Medical records: yearly examination and vaccination for every handler, signed by the doctor.
Training records for all handlers.
Frying oil log. A business using more than 50 kg or litres of oil a day keeps a daily log (oil, quantity used and discarded, disposal, authorised agency) and gives used oil only to authorised agencies (FSSAI guidance note).
Yearly self-evaluation. The Direction's Part V asks for a self-evaluation or audit at least once a year.
Food Safety Supervisor. A licensed restaurant employs at least one technical person or FSSAI-trained (FoSTaC) Food Safety Supervisor. FSSAI's standard is one for every 25 handlers at each premises. FoSTaC certificates have no end date since 2022. We found no supervisor duty for businesses that only register.

How long to keep them. 1 year or the product's shelf life, whichever is longer (Schedule 4, Part II, 8.2; Compendium). We found no official text saying digital records are or are not accepted, so ask your Designated Officer if you are unsure.

## 5. Where businesses go wrong

No licence or number on the bills.
Missing temperature records, which the hygiene checklist treats as critical.
No medical records, or an examination years old.
No action recorded when a fridge is above 5°C.
Reheating mistakes, such as a bain-marie, or reheating twice.
Old frying oil, or no oil log above 50 litres a day.
Training not shown, and no certified Food Safety Supervisor in a licensed business.
Pest control without paperwork.
Records kept less than a year, lost, wet or thrown away.

## 6. By type of business

Every food business must register or hold a licence, so the basic duties are the same. The records depend on what you do.

Restaurant: daily temperature checks, oil checks, cleaning, pests, medical and training records. A chain with a Central licence or 10 or more outlets must show calories, allergens and the veg / non-veg logo on its menu (FSS Labelling and Display Regulations 2020, regulation 9; FSSAI guidance note). The allergens are cereals with gluten, crustaceans, milk, egg, fish, peanuts and tree nuts, soy, and sulphites at 10 mg per kg or more. For other restaurants FSSAI says it is preferable to name the common allergens and to say when cross-contact cannot be avoided.
Takeaway: as a restaurant, plus transport: high-risk hot food should reach the eater within 2 hours of preparation, or be kept at 65°C.
Café: fridge and display temperatures, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches and cakes.
Bakery: the Hygiene Rating covers bakeries. Keep storage, cleaning, pest and staff health records.
Dessert shop: the Hygiene Rating covers sweet shops (mithai). Keep fridge and freezer temperatures and oil checks.
Pub / bar / club: we found no separate FSSAI rule. If you serve food, the same registration and records apply. Ask about alcohol licences separately.
Community hall / venue: serving food as a business needs registration or a licence. Event caterers are in the licensed catering group. Keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop: registration or licence by turnover. We did not read a separate retail rule. Since the 2026 amendment, FIFO / FEFO stock rotation does not apply to retailers (Second Amendment Regulations 2026). Keep fridge and delivery checks.
School / nursery kitchen: we could not confirm special FSSAI rules, so ask your state food department.
Caterer / food van: covered by Part V. Premises in more than one area need separate licences (section 31). Keep transport and event temperatures.
Home kitchen business: a home business selling food is a food business. We could not read an official page on home kitchens, so ask your Designated Officer.

## 7. Why digital records help in India

A year of records, ready, searchable, and safe from monsoon damage or a kitchen fire.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day.
Problems come with their fix. An out-of-range reading can ask what you did.
Dates you should not miss: yearly medicals, the yearly water test and the yearly fee.
Ready for the Food Safety Officer, all at once.
Every staff member can take part, in their own language.

## 8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Indian rules, including Schedule 4 and FSSAI's Direction. What it does:

Daily checks with the time, the staff member's name and photos. Saved records cannot be changed; corrections are added as new records.
Your country's rules built in, such as the FSSAI numbers for chilled, frozen and hot food, and the 1-year record rule.
Food safety plan. About 20 minutes: answer questions, check each method, sign it, set a review date and print it. Earlier versions are kept.
Ready for inspection? Checks your last 4 weeks of records the way an inspector would.
Inspector's visits log. Date, type and officer for each visit.
Practice inspection. A free walk round of about 10 minutes, with a "Put it right" list, showing the likely result in the FSSAI Hygiene Rating scheme.
Allergen chart and labels, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for food you pack.
Staff training records.
Inspector pack. Print all your records as one pack, or share them by secure link.
40 languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil and Urdu.

## 9. A fair price, on purpose

Chef Hygiene costs about €2.99 a month per site (about €1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops), shown in rupees in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

We keep the price low on purpose. We want as many food businesses as possible, from a single food van to a busy restaurant, to keep good records and pass inspections.

## 10. Less paper

A paper diary means printed sheets every day. One daily sheet per kitchen is 365 sheets a year, before you count delivery forms, cleaning rotas, oil logs and training records. Digital records mean no record books to buy and fewer printed forms to throw away, and nothing to store in a back office.

## 11. FAQ

### Do I legally need food safety records in India?

Yes. Schedule 4 asks for records of cooking, storage, cleaning, pest control, medical examinations and training, kept for 1 year or the shelf life, whichever is longer.

### Who inspects restaurants in India?

Food Safety Officers of each state. The Designated Officer grants licences and serves notices, and the Commissioner of Food Safety hears appeals.

### Do I need a licence or only a registration?

It depends on yearly turnover, from 1 April 2026: registration up to Rs 1.5 crore, a State licence up to Rs 50 crore, a Central licence above that.

### Is the FSSAI number needed on my bills?

Yes. The 14-digit number must be printed on bills and invoices, from 1 January 2022.

### Is there a hygiene rating in India?

FSSAI's Hygiene Rating of 1 to 5 smileys is voluntary, unless directed, and lasts 2 years. There is no compulsory public grade.

### What temperature should my fridge and freezer be?

FSSAI's Direction says 5°C or colder for high-risk chilled food and -18°C or colder for frozen food.

### What temperature should I cook food to?

Non-vegetarian food 75°C for 15 seconds or 65°C for 10 minutes; vegetarian food 65°C for 2 minutes or 60°C for 10 minutes.

### How long must I keep my records?

1 year, or the shelf life of the product if that is longer.

### Are digital records accepted?

We found no official text that says yes or no. The rules ask for records, not for paper. Ask your Designated Officer if unsure.

### Do my staff need a medical certificate?

Every food handler is examined by a registered medical practitioner every year, with records kept.

### What is a Food Safety Supervisor?

A person trained under FSSAI's FoSTaC programme. A licensed restaurant needs at least one; FSSAI's standard is one per 25 handlers at each premises.

### What allergen information do I need?

Chains with a Central licence or 10 or more outlets must show allergens on the menu. For other restaurants FSSAI says naming common allergens is preferable.

### What is the fine for running without a licence?

A penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh (section 63 of the FSS Act, as changed in 2023).

### What is an improvement notice?

At least 14 days to fix failures. If not done, the licence can be suspended and then cancelled. You can appeal within 15 days.

### Do I need to register a food van, stall or home business?

Every food business must register or be licensed. Stall holders only register. For home kitchens ask your Designated Officer.

### How much does Chef Hygiene cost in India?

About €2.99 a month per site (about €1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops), shown in rupees in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

## 12. Official sources